Steamboat Springs — Steamboat Springs City Council President Ken Brenner wants Routt County to help pay for a new community center.

Commissioner Doug Monger said county commissioners are unlikely to agree with Brenner's suggestion.

Commissioners and council members are likely to talk about the community center issue during a joint meeting at 5 p.m. today in Centennial Hall. The agenda for the joint meeting includes an update of the West of Steamboat Springs Area Plan, an update of the Steamboat Springs Community Plan and a discussion of the city's new Transfer of Development Rights program.

The city has proposed building a $2.9 million community center at the Stock Bridge Transit Center just west of town. The center would replace the existing center adjacent to the library. That building will be demolished next year to make room for a library expansion.

Brenner sent a letter to the commissioners Oct. 20, requesting a funding boost from the county.

"As you know, the Community Center project has $500,000 in cash funding from the (East Routt) Library District and a $500,000 Energy Impact grant (from the state Department of Local Affairs)," the letter reads. "City Council believes that an appropriate share of funding from Routt County would be at least 30 percent of the total. We certainly believe that it is appropriate for significantly more funding than the $10,000 that you have already committed to the project.

"We respectfully request additional funding for this project and feel the Routt County 'fair share' is somewhere between 30 to 40 percent of the $2,000,000, which represents the City funds dedicated to the project."

Monger said he and fellow commissioners Nancy Stahoviak and Dan Ellison are not agreeable to such a large request.

"We're not sure that we're going to get into a 'fair share' discussion," Monger said, adding that the county provides the majority - if not all - of the funding for several projects that benefit the city, such as the new terminal at Yampa Valley Regional Airport, renovations to the Routt County Courthouse, and construction of the new, $13.4 million Routt County Justice Center.

Stahoviak said that the city contributed $50,000 to the airport terminal in 2006, and has not contributed to the justice center.

The council's letter cites the proposed community center's increased space for the Routt County Council on Aging and senior citizen programs, which Brenner said reserve more than 40 percent of the hours available for public use of the community center.

Monger said the Council on Aging does not fall under the county's jurisdiction.

"We assist in the funding, but that's not our program," Monger said.

Following the joint county-city meeting, the City Council will meet with the Steamboat Springs Planning Commission to discuss the city's big-box ordinance, involving city development policies related to large retail stores. Finally, the council is scheduled to meet with the Recreation Center Committee, a group of residents working to place a new recreation center on the 2007 ballot.